Plastic production is set to quadruple by 2050, fuelled by new fossil fuel exploration such as fracking. Manufacturers must be held responsible for the full life-cycle of all of the plastic they produce: 100% recyclable should equate to 100% recycled.

SUCCESS TO DATE

SAS campaigned successfully for the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge, which has already reduced the circulation of plastic bags by 9bn.

The charity also recently delivered a petition to Theresa May; signed by 325,000 citizens, it called for the introduction of a comprehensive deposit return system (DRS) on plastic beverage bottle and containers.

A DRS is a proven mechanism to trap plastic in the recycling economy rather than on our beaches and in the wider environment.

The government will soon be consulting on the design of the English DRS system. SAS will be calling for it to be fully inclusive of beverage bottle sizes and materials, to create a truly world-class and effective system that will protect the environment, create jobs, reduce carbon emissions and prevent littering.

The group called for a plastics tax to incentivise use of recycled plastics, reduce volumes of the most environmentally damaging and non-recyclable plastics and polymers and to extend producer responsibility so that producers and retailers are accountable for the full ‘end of life’ costs of the single-use plastics they put on the market.

‘The future health of our oceans and marine life cannot be traded for the convenience culture of today so we need a budget that drives action to make us single-use plastic free.

‘Aggressively cutting the volume of avoidable and pointless plastics is critical in reversing the terrifying scale of plastic pollution currently suffocating our environment from our cities to the ocean. Runaway plastic emissions have to be tackled through ambitious and progressive policies that truly stop plastic particulate from being belched out from factories.

‘It doesn’t stop at coffee cups and cutlery; business needs wholesale reform to decouple its profits from finite fossil fuels used to make products that last just minutes but pollute for centuries.’

HUGO TAGHOLM
Chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage

PEOPLE POWER

Individuals, businesses and campaign groups show overwhelming support for action on tackling the impact of plastics on our environment.

The public response to the recent HM Treasury consultation on plastic was the highest in Treasury’s history. Last week alone, more than 15,000 volunteers took part in more than 460 Surfers Against Sewage beach and river cleans, personally picking up plastic pollution. That’s 28% more cleans this year than last autumn.